Saanich’s new Biodiversity Conservation Strategy ignores key recommendations from experts

IN JANUARY 2022, I wrote the following article for Focus Magazine: Saanich Park Report Card indicates failure by Saanich to steward Garry Oak ecosystems and species at risk.

At that time, most report card categories received a failing grade. Little has changed, and it appears that little will change in the Saanich Parks system moving forward, even after significant resources were provided by Saanich Council, to engage a group of experts, the Resilient Saanich Technical Committee (RSTC) to provide advice, and to hire consultants to write a State of Biodiversity report and a Biodiversity Conservation Strategy (BCS). Most of the significant recommendations made by the RSTC have not been addressed in Saanich’s new Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan.

Saanich updated its 2008 Official Community Plan (OCP) in 2024.  The latest OCP still states, under the heading Environmental Integrity that:

“Saanich is a model steward working diligently to improve and balance the natural and built environments. Saanich restores and protects … the biodiversity of existing natural areas and ecosystems.”

The new Biodiversity Conservation Strategy (BCS) ignores the comprehensive programs put forward by the Resilient Saanich Technical Committee (RSTC). The RSTC recommended the following comprehensive programs; a private land stewardship program, a species at risk management program, new ecosystem mapping to replace inaccurate mapping, and a comprehensive ecosystem restoration program. This last program would include significant access restrictions in Saanich parks to protect special ecosystems. Mapping would include doing an ecological condition assessment to determine restoration needs for each park.

Instead of the bold vision and comprehensive programs recommended by the RSTC, the strategy provides tinkering around the edges, with only minor adjustments to existing programs. No significant new funding or comprehensive programs appear to be proposed.

If the RSTC recommendations had been adopted, the OCP vision and other issues listed above, could have been achieved.

Large areas of Garry oak ecosystems in Saanich parks are severely degraded. Using existing resources while not requesting significant funding for restoration in Saanich parks will not be effective. The RSTC indicated in their latest letter to council that “current budgets devoted to biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of ecological health of Saanich Parks is woefully inadequate.” 

Saanich provides $97 per citizen funding for its parks system (for both capital and operating expenditures) while Kelowna, a jurisdiction similar in size, provides almost double that at $186 per citizen to its parks system.

Our natural area parks and biodiversity, particularly PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park), are exhibiting significant degradation. I have witnessed this degradation first-hand during the 40 years that I have lived in Saanich, and it has been particularly noticeable in the last decade as our population and park use increases, with a lack of access restrictions for people and pets.

Figure 1 Summary Table Ecological Condition Assessment, from The Victoria Naturalist Vol.79.2 (2022) page 11: Results of Assessing the Ecological Condition in Major Saanich Parks Using a Rapid Assessment Technique.

An assessment of 18 major parks in Saanich, by a member of the RSTC and I, found that most, if not nearly all, natural area parks are covered with invasive species, and severely degraded by overuse, due to limited access restrictions (see Figure 1). Bold actions will be required to restore these globally imperilled ecosystems. Significant resources are required, not the limited amounts that are indicated in the BCS Implementation Plan. Examples of the predominance of invasive species are provided in Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4.

Figure 2 Knockan Hill Park, June 2024. Inside the post and rope fenced area, multiple species of invasive grasses and yellow-flowered hairy cat’s-ear dominate and are expanding rapidly. Limited restoration action is occurring. (Photo: Ted Lea)

Figure 3 Knockan Hill Park, April 2021. The globally imperilled Douglas-fir ecosystems within this park are covered in invasive spurge laurel (Daphne), English ivy, Himalayan blackberry, periwinkle and many other invasive species.  (Photo: Ted Lea)

Figure 4 Swan Creek Park, September 2024. This natural area park (P-4N) south of McKenzie Avenue is extensively covered in English Hawthorn (red berries) as well as other invasive species.  (Photo: Ted Lea)

Many highly regarded experts have written to Saanich Council and indicated that a far more comprehensive approach is needed than was approved by Council. These experts include, in addition to the RSTC, multiple University of Victoria professors, including Dr. Nancy Turner in a separate letter, and multiple Pulling Together volunteers. 

A group of Pulling Together volunteers provided a presentation to Saanich council in March 2023, indicating that Saanich parks are in “crisis” and that the volunteers in the Pulling Together program cannot deal with the significant areas of invasive species in Saanich parks, including up to 30 species of invasive grasses in Garry oak ecosystems. 

A group of UVic professors in May 2024 wrote to Saanich council regarding the strategy and indicated that: “Saanich must also place significant effort on effective protection and restoration,” and that “many of the beautiful parks in the district are experiencing intense pressure from invasive species and high levels of recreational use.”  

The group of UVic professors went on to write that “Given the rich biodiversity in this region, and in the District of Saanich, we are in need of a cohesive, comprehensive species-at-risk management program across the district.” 

Saanich does not have a species at risk management program and there is no mention of the need for a comprehensive species at risk management program in the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. There are many species at risk in Saanich parks, including species whose numbers are rapidly decreasing. At the council meeting on June 17, 2024, Saanich staff stated that Saanich follows “Best Practices” in terms of species at risk management, and presumably, ecosystem restoration, however, both programs are critically underfunded. 

Dr. Nancy Turner, a long-time Saanich resident, a University of Victoria professor and internationally-distinguished scholar and scientist, provided a June 14, 2024 letter to Saanich Council providing recommendations for biodiversity in Saanich (pg. 96). 

Dr. Turner’s list includes pointing out the irreplaceable biodiversity, rare ecosystems in Canada, many species at risk, importance of protecting and restoring biodiversity, threat of unregulated trampling by people and pets, the need for updated ecosystem mapping and inventory of species at risk, signage to educate users regarding biodiversity values, and the need for significant funding and expertise.

Dr. Turner provided a 100-to-200-year vision that is critically missing in the Implementation Plan for the Biodiversity Strategy.

Most of the ecosystems in PKOLS and other natural area parks in Saanich are considered “critically imperilled” or “imperilled” by global conservation standards, according to the international NatureServe database. This includes most of the Douglas-fir ecosystems and all Garry oak ecosystems in Saanich.

Pulling Together volunteers have spent over two decades removing invasive plant species in the south end of PKOLS which had allowed the native understory in the forested areas to recover. Saanich Council has seen multiple videos of off-leash dogs, off-trail in PKOLS and elsewhere in Saanich Parks. Damage to the natural understory of these ecosystems is extensive and expanding (Figure 5).

Figure 5 PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park) south end, 2023. This area was fully restored by Pulling Together volunteers; native vegetation used to grow to the edge of the main trail, however, it has been used as an off-leash, off-trail dog park for many years, resulting in extensive damage over this time.  (Photo: Ted Lea)

Saanich Council approved the People, Pets and Parks Strategy in October 2023, which planned for signage and fencing in a significant area of PKOLS. At the time of this writing (early October 2024) no signs and no fencing have been provided to protect these globally imperilled ecosystems. 

The 2011 District of Saanich Park Natural Areas Management Guidelines indicate that: “Our ecosystem management goal is to preserve, restore, and enhance ecological integrity while providing for appropriate use and access”. These Guidelines also state to restrict access for areas of high ecological integrity, protect critical habitat for species at risk, manage trail use with markers and signs, and educate the public about the importance of natural areas and ecosystems.

These Guidelines are not being followed, despite the obvious indication in this document, and statements from the public in the BCS, that they care about these ecosystems and species.

Figure 6 Blenkinsop Trail in PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park), December 2023. No clear delineation of the main designated trail is visible resulting in multiple rogue trails. Access restrictions are required to protect these ecosystems at risk.  (Photo: Ted Lea)

An example of lack of trail delineation and access restrictions is the Blenkinsop Trail, developed in 2012 to access the west side of PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park). Many parts of this trail lack clear delineation of the main path. As a result, multiple braided routes, and many rogue trails have been created, allowing people and their pets to go wherever they wish (Figure 6). These are special ecosystems that were of “highest ecological integrity” which are not being protected and continue to become more degraded each year. There are many methods of protection, such as post and rope fencing or using rope and weight delineation that are used in numerous provincial parks.

Figure 7 Glencoe Cove – Kwatsech Park, April 2016. Bearded Owl-clover habitat (small white flowers). There were 90,000 Owl-clover plants in 2009.  This entire park is considered Federally Designated Critical Habitat for three different species at risk.  (Photo: Ted Lea)

Figure 8 Glencoe Cove – Kwatsech Park, April 2024. This is the same area as in Figure 7, showing significant damage and further loss of habitat and species since 2016. Only hundreds of individuals of the Federally Endangered Bearded Owl-clover remain. Access restrictions are required to protect species at risk and their habitat. 

Little is being done to protect species at risk locations in Saanich, even in areas that are mapped as Federally Designated Critical Habitat, despite what the 2011 Guidelines indicate. Glencoe Cove – Kwatsech Park has three species at risk. Despite this, full access to the whole park is allowed year-round to people, dogs, bicycles, and events such as weddings. No fencing or trail delineation is provided and as a result, the population numbers of these species at risk continue to decline. Figure 7 and Figure 8 show the changes to this species at risk habitat from 2016 to 2024.  This is not “Best Practices.”

There is an opportunity to correct these directions going forward, especially when the Implementation Plan is brought back to Saanich Council. Saanich Council needs to take bold action to implement comprehensive, fully funded programs to restore Garry oak ecosystems and other ecosystems in Saanich parks and provide effective management for the many species at risk in Saanich Parks. Otherwise, the ecosystems in Saanich’s parks system will continue to become more and more degraded, and Saanich’s species at risk will continue to decline.

Ted Lea is a retired ecologist and provincial expert in ecosystem inventory and mapping, and Garry oak ecosystems.